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Charter school leaders report strong academic gains, transportation and facilities constraints
Summary
Representatives from three charter schools told the board about achievement, enrollment and operational challenges — highlighting strong test results, regular field experiences and ongoing transportation and facility obstacles that affect attendance and growth.
Leaders of three charter schools updated the Board of Education on academics, attendance and operations during the May 7 informational meeting, reporting strong content‑mastery scores but persistent transportation and facility constraints.
Barry Lawless, CEO of Savannah Classical Academy, told the board the school recorded the district’s highest elementary content‑mastery scores last year and described improvements across the school. Lawless reported a 91% overall attendance rate for the prior year and said recent counts show 95% attendance in K‑8 and 98% in the high school. He said Savannah Classical uses weekly attendance meetings, parent outreach and occasional targeted incentives to support attendance, and that the school’s private foundation assists with one‑time costs such as senior trips.
Students from Savannah Classical described hallmark learning experiences, including a strings program and recurring grade‑level field trips the school requires each year. Lawless said the school is pursuing modest enrollment growth by adding lower‑grade sections and noted transportation remains a challenge because families must provide most travel to campus.
Dr. Yannis Medina, school director at Susie King Taylor Community School, reported strong I‑Ready growth (71% of scholars met end‑of‑year targets) and an average school attendance around 94%. Dr. Medina said required monthly field experiences, a standards‑based grading transition and social‑emotional learning were core elements of the school’s model. Susie King reported 277 scholars, high rates of free/reduced‑price lunch (94%) and a relatively high share of students with Individualized Education Programs (about 32%). She said Susie King maintains a wait list and aims to grow toward its charter contract enrollment target.
Tybee Maritime Academy leaders described improvements tied to a place‑based STEAM curriculum and said regular family engagement and targeted remediation help attendance. The school emphasized partnerships with higher‑education and research organizations, a wait list for seats and board governance changes designed to formalize term limits and membership rules. Tybee leaders said transportation remains the program’s largest operational hurdle, noting their most recent lottery left dozens of students without a bus seat; they urged district help identifying long‑term facility options for the school, which is operating on leased property that will require a future solution.
Board members asked questions about enrollment patterns, why some charter students withdraw and return to neighborhood schools, and whether charters’ successful strategies could be scaled within the district. Trustees and charter leaders discussed sharing best practices such as field trips, progress‑monitoring tools, teacher training and house systems. The charter reports were informational; no board action was taken.
